The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-12-23

a Keen. cuIllHS pstllI dG my neart as i
saw her sick day by day. One day the
doctor came from her room to where I
was sitting respondent and weeping.
and said Johnny, ] have sad news
for you, but you must bear up under
the great sorrow as well as you gan,
your mother must soon leave you. A
great fear came upon me, and | trem-
bled in every limb.
"'Oh! DOCTOR 1 cried, do not tell
me that. Do not give her up. Save
her! Save her! and l will be your slave
for life.
The good, kind-hearted old man
placed his hand on my head and said:
":My dear boy, she is past all hui
man aid. Calm yourself as much as
you can and come with ME. She
wishes to see you.
He took my hand and led me into
the chamber which already rested
under the sombre shadows of the dark
wings of the Angel of Death. My
poor, darling mother lay there pale as
the pillow upon which her dear head
rested, upon her emaciated face look
of calm resignation-such an express
sion as comes only to the dying Chris
tian whose hopes of Immortality be-
yond the grave has been stamped with.
the approving seal of the Almighty.
Weeping bitterly threw myself on
my knees at her bedside. Placing one
of her thin white hands in mine and
the other upon my head she said:
"'Johnny, my son, | must leave
you. The Saviour has called me home
and must obey. My dear boy, Will
you make me one promise that can
take up to Heaven with me; it will
then not be so hard to leave you on
this wicked earthp
"'Oh! mother!' cried, darling, be-,
loved mother, will promise you any
thing-any thing-any thing
"God bless you for those sweet
words, my precious boy, for I know
your truthful nature. and | know you
will never break promise to your
dying mother. Promise me, my son,
that as long as you live q drop of
liquor shall never pass your lips
Mother, promise it. Here on my
bending knees promise God and the
angel He is soon to take from me that
l will never, as long as live. take one
drop of intoxicating liquor I
my voice trembled, and 1 paused
moment to wipe the tears from my
eyes, a movement which l observed
was initiated by several of those rough
frontiersmen. / then continued:
"'Boys, to this day have faithfully
kept that promise, and l know that
the spirit of my dear aged mother has
ever been with me to guide me and
shield me when temptation assaulted
ME.
"'And now shall pain that good
angel, whose presence and gentle infu-,
ence can almost feel here with me to-
night, by breaking that pledge? Shall
I take drink with you?
"As concluded extended my hand
toward the liquor, but ere | could
reach it pistol shot rang out upon the
air, and the jug was shattered into
many pieces. AT the same instant an
old scout named Bill Reed sprang to-
his feet with the smoking pistol still
grasped in his brawny hand and
shouted:
''No, thousand times, no; and I've
jist signed the pledge myself with that
ere pistol ball. 1 had jist SIGH a
mother, Jack, an she talked 10 me list
as you'd did to you, but l war a wild
boy, pards, an soon forgot her teach
ms, although they come to me all
sparkled with mothers holy tears.
But look you var, boys, when the
noise O. that shot reaches her ears up
in Heaven the smile that orter to q
bin on her face when she died I'll git
thar; and the peace that her dear souls
bin a-longin' fur III snuggle down in
her breast fur b'lieve God III give
her the power to realize that the shot
war her own Bills pledge?"
n 1CN IHOHCuUo ltICI inc group
was scattered. l sat with Bill's hand
clasped in my own, encouraging him
to forever keep his novel pledge; one
OF two of the men lay looking into the
fire with thoughtful faces, others
strolled about gazing upon the ground
OF sat upon rocks in moody attitudes.
Gone was the rollicking fun, gone the
bacchanalIan song, gone the liquor-in-
spired whoops and yells. One might
have thought the rough, daring men
were morosely brooding over the loss
of the whisky, but they were not.
Their thoughts had gone .skimming
over the back trail of their reckless
lives. They were thinking of mother"
j. W. CRAWFORD (Captain jack, IN
Youngstown co., Telegram.